Most nominated, never won this award
- 01KWKirk Whalum6 noms
- 02DKDave Koz4 noms
- 03GAGerald Albright4 noms
- 04KGKenny G4 noms
- 05SGSpyro Gyra4 noms
- 06BJBoney James3 noms
A visual history · Grammys
The winners who defined Contemp. Instrumental.
25 ceremonies, 2001–2025. 21 different winners.
- Who won most recently?
- Taylor Eigsti in 2025 for Plot Armor.
- Who has won the most?
- Snarky Puppy, 3 wins (2017, 2021, 2023).
- Plot ArmorTaylor Eigsti01
- As We SpeakBéla Fleck, Zakir Hussain and Edgar Meyer featuring Rakesh Chaurasia02
- Empire CentralSnarky Puppy03
- Tree FallsTaylor Eigsti04
- Live at the Royal Albert HallSnarky Puppy05
- MettavolutionRodrigo y Gabriela06
- Years explored
- 2001–2025
- Different winners
- 21
- Category leader
- Snarky Puppy · 3
About this record
Best Contemporary Instrumental Album was first awarded in 2001, so it does not run the full 1959–2025 window.
It was previously known as Best Pop Instrumental Album.
It took its current name in 2015, when it moved out of the pop field.
2001–2025
25 ceremonies
20012025
01 / The reigns
21 winners shaped this category.
The timeline turns the 2001–2025 record into a sequence of reigns. Longer bands reveal sustained runs; color shows the credited label.
- 01Snarky Puppy3 wins
- 02Booker T. Jones2 wins
- 03Taylor Eigsti2 wins
Joe Jackson'01
Larry Carlton and Steve Lukather'02
Norman Brown'03
Ry Cooder and Manuel Galban'04
Various Artists'05
Burt Bacharach'06
Peter Frampton'07
Beastie Boys'08
Béla Fleck and the Flecktones'09
Booker T. Jones'10
Larry Carlton and Tak Matsumoto'11
Booker T. Jones'12
Chris Botti'13
Herb Alpert'14
Chris Thile and Edgar Meyer'15
Snarky Puppy and Metropole Orkest'16
Snarky Puppy'17
Jeff Lorber Fusion'18
Steve Gadd Band'19
Rodrigo y Gabriela'20
Snarky Puppy'21
Taylor Eigsti'22
Snarky Puppy'23
As We Speak'24
Taylor Eigsti'25
02 / The power map
Who stood behind the winners?
Sony leads the recorded label credits with 3 wins, 2001–2025. The full distribution shows whether power was concentrated or shared.
Sony3 wins01
GroundUP2 wins02
Warner2 wins03
A&M1 win04
Anti-1 win05
ANTI-Records1 win06
Wins by label
- Sony315%
- GroundUP210%
- Warner210%
- A&M15%
- Anti-15%
- ANTI-Records15%
- Other1050%
5 further wins have no label on record and are not counted in the 20 above.
5 of these 25 wins have no label on record, so the chart covers the other 20.
03 / The near misses
The names that kept coming back without the ending they wanted.
Counting nominations in this category only, 2001–2025. Excludes 2 nominations credited to Various Artists, which names a compilation rather than an act.
Most losses in this category
- 01KWKirk Whalum6L · 0W
- 02DKDave Koz4L · 0W
- 03GAGerald Albright4L · 0W
- 04KGKenny G4L · 0W
- 05SGSpyro Gyra4L · 0W
- 06BJBoney James3L · 0W
04 / The archive
Every year.
Every winner.
The complete reference behind the story, showing 2001–2025. Open any year to see the rest of the field when nominee records are available.
| Year | Winner | Label |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | Taylor Eigsti (Plot Armor)beat 4 others
| Not credited |
| 2024 | Béla Fleck, Zakir Hussain and Edgar Meyer featuring Rakesh Chaurasia (As We Speak)beat 4 others
| Not credited |
| 2023 | Snarky Puppy (Empire Central)beat 4 others
| GroundUP |
| 2022 | Taylor Eigsti (Tree Falls)beat 4 others
| Not credited |
| 2021 | Snarky Puppy (Live at the Royal Albert Hall)beat 4 others
| GroundUPmusic |
| 2020 | Rodrigo y Gabriela (Mettavolution)beat 4 others
| Rubyworks/ATO |
| 2019 | Steve Gadd Band (Steve Gadd Band)beat 4 others
| Not credited |
| 2018 | Jeff Lorber Fusion (Prototype)beat 4 others
| Shanachie |
| 2017 | Snarky Puppy (Culcha Vulcha)beat 4 others
| GroundUP |
| 2016 | Snarky Puppy and Metropole Orkest (Sylva)beat 4 others
| Impulse! |
| 2015 | Chris Thile and Edgar Meyer (Bass & Mandolin)beat 4 others
| Not credited |
| 2014 | Herb Alpert (Steppin' Out)beat 4 others
| Shout! Factory |
| 2013 | Chris Botti (Impressions)beat 4 others
| Columbia |
| 2012 | Booker T. Jones (The Road from Memphis)beat 4 others
| ANTI-Records |
| 2011 | Larry Carlton and Tak Matsumoto (Take Your Pick)beat 4 others
| Vermillion/Forward |
| 2010 | Booker T. Jones (Potato Hole)beat 4 others
| Anti- |
| 2009 | Béla Fleck and the Flecktones (Jingle All the Way)beat 4 others
| Rounder |
| 2008 | Beastie Boys (The Mix-Up)beat 4 others
| Capitol |
| 2007 | Peter Frampton (Fingerprints)beat 4 others
| A&M/Polydor |
| 2006 | Burt Bacharach (At This Time)beat 4 others
| Columbia |
| 2005 | Various Artists (Henry Mancini: Pink Guitar)beat 4 others
| Solid Air |
| 2004 | Ry Cooder and Manuel Galban (Mambo Sinuendo)beat 4 others
| Nonesuch |
| 2003 | Norman Brown (Just Chillin)beat 4 others
| Warner Bros |
| 2002 | Larry Carlton and Steve Lukather (No Substitutions: Live in Osaka)beat 4 others
| Favored Nations |
| 2001 | Joe Jackson (Symphony No. 1)beat 4 others
| Sony Classical |
